Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Crucial Arjun Mk.2 User Trials From June 1

Source LIVEFIST :On May 10, the improved Arjun Mk.2 main battle tank prototype is all set
to roll into the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan for a week of
firing trials. Formal user trials with the Indian Army are scheduled to
commence on June 1. Much rides on the results of these trials, and
expectations are high. At the very least, an indent
-- or conditional intention to buy memorandum -- for 124 Mk.2 tanks
depends on the tank performing on expected lines during these (and
potentially, future rounds of) trials.

The Arjun Mk.2 trials come just weeks after Russia displayed an improved version of the
T-90 tank at Defexpo 2012, and the timing is no coincidence. Russia has
made it all but officially clear that the T-90 is superior in all
respects to the Arjun, though this was hardly borne out in comparative
trials between the Russian tank and an Arjun Mk.1 in 2010 (the DRDO says
the Russian tank was uniformly drubbed). It isn't difficult to see,
however, that the Arjun's loss is the T-90's gain, and vice versa. It is
at this juncture and this atmosphere that the Arjun Mk.2 trials are set
to commence, and for these reasons that they will be watched closely by
stakeholders. Also:

* If the Arjun Mk.2 is not a success, the overall Arjun programme will be a dead loss, since the programme needs a minimum supply order, overall, of 500 tanks to amortize project costs.

* The T-90 license build programme hasn't been without problems, and
years after the production line came up, there remain issues.

* The Arjun Mk.2 is crucial in every respect to the Army's faith and confidence in the FMBT that it wants from the DRDO.

Personally, nothing would be more satisfying than to see the Arjun Mk.2
meet all requirements. It is truly sad that India has to continue to
cookie-cut Russian tanks at great cost, especially at a time when the
paradigm of the land battle is in a process of deep transformation
anyway.